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Details
A RARE CHEROKEE POLYCHROME TWILL PLAITED BASKET
of rectangular form, double-woven of natural and dyed split rivercane, with encircling geometric design on the exterior and broad diagonal band on the interior, surmounted by a fitted lid with linear design on both sides
Length: 9½ in. (24.1 cm.)
of rectangular form, double-woven of natural and dyed split rivercane, with encircling geometric design on the exterior and broad diagonal band on the interior, surmounted by a fitted lid with linear design on both sides
Length: 9½ in. (24.1 cm.)
Provenance
This lot was owned by Rachel Martin Davis, pre-1843. Descended through the family to the current owner.
Literature
Illustrated in Native Lands: Indians & Georgia, 1999:16.
Exhibited
Atlanta History Museum and Atlanta History Center, November 13, 1999 - January 1, 2001
Further details
The Cherokee lidded basket is a rare pre-1843 doubleweave container made of durable rivercane; both its antiquity and artistic merits set it apart among those extant. The weaver skillfully created one of the most artistically significant baskets known to exist from the years immediately following the "Trail of Tears" removal period (1838 - 1839) when most North Carolina Cherokees were forcibly removed west to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. The basket's double weave construction is one of the most challenging weaves to create and the Cherokee are known to excel in making baskets of this style from the sixteenth century to the present day. The earliest known depiction of a similar type basket appears in the 1682 painting titled Les Tresors de l'Amerique by George Brandmuller, in the Musee du Nouveau Monde, La Rochelle, France.
Both the lid and body of this basket are formed with two separate, woven layers of rivercane strips, each with a design that is unique to it. While the lid's interior pattern is quite similar to its exterior one, the body of the basket is made even more exceptional by having two totally different designs created for the inside and outside surfaces of the separate layers. The interior features a bold horizontal pattern, composed of the same dark brown, red, and golden yellow colors, yet dramatically set apart in its unique configuration. The complex structure, challenging design solutions, and highly refined shape suggest this basket was woven by one of the most skilled Cherokee basket makers of the time, and one who excelled im making this highly complex double-walled basket and lid. The lid's unusual inslanting sides, surrounding and enclosing the concave surface of the top, give it an elegant, graceful profile, unmatched by other examples.
This basket compares with two other very rare Cherokee lidded rivercane baskets of the eighteenth century: the first, in the Sloan Collection of the British Museum, London; the second, from the Historiska Museet, Lund, Sweden. This example of a Cherokee dyed rivercane basket and lid is among a select few of historically and artistically important examples. Based on its refined form, size, and beauty, it was a special basket, used perhaps to hold treasured personal items,or possibly exchanged in trade or given to an official or dignitary in the region. Such expertly made baskets were valued objects, reserved for special use. At times, they were prized gifts that ultimately became objects in private and museum collections in Europe and the United States. Due to its antiquity and exceptional artistic merits, this basket is one of the most important dyed rivercane lidded baskets made by the Cherokee.
Susan C. Power, Ph. D.
April 26, 2005
Both the lid and body of this basket are formed with two separate, woven layers of rivercane strips, each with a design that is unique to it. While the lid's interior pattern is quite similar to its exterior one, the body of the basket is made even more exceptional by having two totally different designs created for the inside and outside surfaces of the separate layers. The interior features a bold horizontal pattern, composed of the same dark brown, red, and golden yellow colors, yet dramatically set apart in its unique configuration. The complex structure, challenging design solutions, and highly refined shape suggest this basket was woven by one of the most skilled Cherokee basket makers of the time, and one who excelled im making this highly complex double-walled basket and lid. The lid's unusual inslanting sides, surrounding and enclosing the concave surface of the top, give it an elegant, graceful profile, unmatched by other examples.
This basket compares with two other very rare Cherokee lidded rivercane baskets of the eighteenth century: the first, in the Sloan Collection of the British Museum, London; the second, from the Historiska Museet, Lund, Sweden. This example of a Cherokee dyed rivercane basket and lid is among a select few of historically and artistically important examples. Based on its refined form, size, and beauty, it was a special basket, used perhaps to hold treasured personal items,or possibly exchanged in trade or given to an official or dignitary in the region. Such expertly made baskets were valued objects, reserved for special use. At times, they were prized gifts that ultimately became objects in private and museum collections in Europe and the United States. Due to its antiquity and exceptional artistic merits, this basket is one of the most important dyed rivercane lidded baskets made by the Cherokee.
Susan C. Power, Ph. D.
April 26, 2005